Personal responsibility is the willingness to accept the standards which society dictates for individual behavior and trying to live by those standards. It can also mean that a person will accept the consequences of their behavior without blaming others.
* Children will understand the importance of education by watching you. If you enjoy reading and do so often, your children will be more likely to want to learn to read early. Children who see their parents learn to do new things rather than sit and watch television all of the time are not going to be satisfied sitting on the sidelines. They’ll want to learn and do in the same way their parents do.
* Parents who read to their children and help them with their schoolwork have children who are more apt to put forth an effort to do well in school. If their parents don’t seem to care about how well they do in school, it is unlikely the children will either. When your child understands that it is their responsibility to apply themselves in school, they will realize that if they don’t do well they will have to bear the consequences.
* Show by example about having a good work ethic. Your children will learn the benefits of working hard if they see you go to work each day as well as do your share of the work around the house. When they see you being rewarded for being a good employee, they learn they can expect to be rewarded for being diligent in their jobs - no matter what that job might be.
* Talk to your children about the consequences of casual sex. If they understand how their lives can change drastically by engaging in sex, it may keep them from experimenting. Don’t give your children mixed messages. Explain that you expect them to say ‘No’ when pressured to have sex. If they do decide to go against your wishes, they will demonstrate personal responsibility by taking precautions which will keep them as safe as possible and not bring another child into the world.
* Beyond casual sex, you’ll also want to talk to your teen about not drinking or taking drugs. Teach them to say ‘No’ to anything which can harm them or cause them to harm others.
* It is also important to talk to your children about financial responsibility. If they apply themselves in school and graduate, they may want to further their education. The better education they get, the better pay they can expect. Teach them at an early age how to use money wisely and how to stay out of debt. Teaching financial responsibility could include giving your child an allowance and letting them make mistakes with money in small amounts so they’ll avoid those mistakes with larger amounts.
As a parent you want the best for your children. You want them to grow up to be responsible members of society who can contribute. Teaching them personal responsibility isn't necessarily an easy task, but it is one that is vitally important.
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Great article! I am the mom of a 13 year old boy, and I feel like I am at an especially important time in his life to teach and train him to be a responsible adult. As parents, it's our "job" to send children out into the world that we would want to be a representation of ourselves!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! You hit the nail on the head with this one. No one wants to have these talks, but it's something we NEED to do!
ReplyDeleteThese are some wonderful tips!
ReplyDeleteOur oldest kids have learned from our strong work ethic. They are very good at putting their jobs ahead of everything else. We hope that our youngest kids are watching the mistakes our oldest kids have made and are learning from it.
ReplyDeleteVery timely article for me, as this is one of the things that I'm currently working on with my oldest son. Thanks for sharing!
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